Chapter 345 Yixiu 23
The torment of that night could be seen from the fact that Rouzemian did not pay her respects the next day.
For the next half month, Yinzhen came to Ninghua Hall to look after the mother and son whenever he was free. Unfortunately, Prince Huifu's health was fluctuating and there was no certainty.
This lasted for barely a month. Not to mention reviving the atmosphere in the harem, Rouze herself was almost sick, but she still had some courage in her heart and managed to hold on.
The originally scheduled visits to the emperor twice a day, morning and evening, were naturally cancelled, and were still done once every five days. If the concubine could not bear it, she would notify them in advance to cancel the visit on the second day, which was even more perfunctory than before.
While Yinzhen loved his beloved wife and young son, he also had to take care of the previous dynasty. Even a naturally energetic person like him could not avoid feeling overwhelmed, and gradually got used to the atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
When he felt depressed and irritable, he would often hide away at Yixiu's place. They would either sit on the floor in the corridor to admire the flowers and clouds; or drink tea and play chess by the window in the hall; or sit on the couch in the room to discuss Zen.
"Let us take advantage of the natural order to return to the end, and enjoy the destiny of heaven, why should we doubt it?"
Yinzhen leaned on the couch with his head propped up, while Yixiu stood not far away and directed the servants to hang the framed calligraphy on the wall, where a decorative zither was originally hung.
"What do you think, Lord Beile?"
"I see you've been going crazy lately. This calligraphy is just ordinary, but you actually framed it and hung it up. If Honghui sees it, he'll laugh at you. Don't get angry at me again."
Yinzhen pulled her over to sit down with amusement. He had never expected that Yixiu would actually frame a piece of calligraphy he had casually written two days ago and carefully find such a conspicuous place to display it. This was really...
"How can it be mediocre? It's clearly very good. If Honghui saw it, he would only praise it."
"Forget it. I won't argue with you. I can't win the argument."
Yinzhen waved his hand and lay down on the couch. The string of eighteen mutton-fat jade beads hanging from his palm made a crisp clinking sound. Yixiu finally stopped and raised her hand to pick up the travel journal on the small table next to her. She leaned over and flipped through it for a moment. Then she heard the person inside breathing heavily. She turned her head to see that he had fallen asleep without realizing it.
Yixiu then ordered Xiuxia to put the heated thin blanket from the incense burner on him, asked the servants to leave, and sat down on the armchair opposite to continue reading her book.
Yinzhen slept soundly. When he woke up slowly, he felt clear-headed and his fatigue from the past few days had eased a lot. He was so reluctant to get up.
Wow——
Outside the window, the gentle breeze blew through the huge bougainvillea tree leaning against the wall in the yard, and the rustling sound combined with the soft sound of turning pages in the house created a warm and natural atmosphere that made Yinzhen a little greedy.
He lay on the couch and turned his head to the side, and sure enough, he saw Yixiu sitting on a half-worn blue satin cushion with a carved scroll-patterned huanghuali armchair opposite him. She was leaning on the armrest, reading the travelogue in her right hand, absorbed in it, while her left hand stretched out to reach the hawthorn cake on the high table.
Yinzhen found it amusing and said nothing, just watching her two hands doing their own thing without fighting. When he realized something was wrong, the plate of hawthorn cake was half gone, but she was still unaware and was still trying to reach out for it.
"If you keep eating, I'm afraid you'll eat up all the dinner in my small kitchen."
Yinzhen suddenly spoke, startling Yixiu on the chair. Her left hand, hanging in the air, hesitated for a moment before finally putting the piece of food into her mouth:
"My Lord, are you awake? But he's hungry. I'll ask them to serve you food right away."
"I'm not hungry, but I'm afraid you've already whetted your appetite. If you don't eat, wouldn't that be a waste of that plate of hawthorn cake?"
Yinzhen turned over and sat up in a bad mood. He didn't need anyone to help him. He put on his shoes and walked over to pull Yixiu up from the chair. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Eating too much hawthorn will hurt your stomach. You are so old and don't know how to avoid eating too much."
"I know, I forgot because I was reading."
Yixiu put down the book in her hand embarrassedly and estimated the amount she had eaten today. It was actually not so bad. After all, there were many other things mixed in the pastries, not all of them were hawthorn.
But her appetite had really been whetted, and she was actually feeling hungry now.
"Let's set the table."
Yinzhen pulled her to the dining room. Since he was there, today's dinner would naturally be more sumptuous. The round table made of bright red rosewood and inlaid with marble and floral patterns was filled with food.
As usual, Yixiu drank half a bowl of soup first, and then the two of them sat opposite each other to eat in private. Yinzhen didn't insist on not talking while eating, so the two of them finished the meal slowly and leisurely, taking almost half an hour.
After dinner, the two sat in the flower hall, and Yinzhen spoke of Honghui's studies with great interest. Human nature was like that; he had been young and naturally hadn't been too concerned about having children. In the two or three months since Honghui moved in, he had developed a slight preference for him because of his intelligence and quick wit.
But since Huifu had called the imperial physician more than ten times in the past month, Yinzhen became particularly aware of the benefits of his son Honghui.
Especially since Honghui was already seven years old, it would be very convenient for him to socialize with others when he occasionally had a family dinner. Yinzhen, who had seen the benefits, was happy to bring Honghui with him.
When chatting with Yixiu about daily life, I would naturally brag about her from time to time. After all, Yixiu is my biological mother, and chatting with her is a different kind of fun.
As it happened, today was the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Seeing that it was getting late, Yinzhen suddenly became interested and took Yixiu for a walk in the yard. Although it was not August today, the sky was cloudless and the moon was particularly bright, which was quite enjoyable.
The two of them walked hand in hand under the flowers, looking up to see the bright moon in the sky. Yinzhen didn't walk as fast as before, perhaps because Yixiu was holding his arm, he slowed down as they walked.
Suddenly, Yinzhen laughed and said, "We are really moving at a snail's pace."
"That's good. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Yixiu pretended not to hear and babbled nonsense. Yinzhen smiled, a rare hint of mischief, and followed her lead, saying, "It's a pity that there are many 'thousand-mile horses', but few 'bole'."
After saying that, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Doing good is easy, doing evil is difficult. The ancients were right. If I hang out with you for a few more days, I'll have to think twice before I go out and talk to people, lest they think I'm crazy."
Yinzhen finished laughing and shamelessly turned the tables. Yixiu pulled her hand away and walked away: "Since it is my fault, I will go back and reflect on it."
"I really can't say anything about you now."
Yinzhen reached out to pull her, a smile still on his face: "I'll apologize to you, please walk with me for a while."
"It's windy outside, and I feel cold."
Yinzhen glanced at the thin material on his body, then glanced at Yixiu's clothes, which were only of a different pattern and color. Without revealing her clothes, he agreed with her and said, "Okay, I'll cover it for you."
After saying that, he really took Yixiu's hand, and the two of them walked around twice before entering the house.
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